Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, United States) report the genetic engineering of the cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongates PCC 7942, for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels. The engineered organism has the ability to produce isobutanol (a biofuel which is reported to have better fuel properties than ethanol or butanol) and isobutaraldehyde (a precursor for the synthesis of other chemicals), directly from carbon dioxide. The usual route for the conversion of carbon dioxide to biofuels is via the plant biomass. That is, carbon dioxide is taken up by plants to produce biomass, and the biomass is processed into biofuels. The second part (processing of the biomass to biofuels) is often energy-intenstive and requires additional raw materials, all of which contribute to higher cost of production. In the direct route that is mediated by the engineered microorganism, biomass production/processing is eliminated and the carbon dioxide is directly converted into the biofuel. Consequently, the cost of production can be dramatically reduced. The article by John Sheehan at the Nature Biotechnology website describes the strategy used by the UCLA scientists (Shota Atsumi and colleagues) to engineer the organism. The isobutanol pathway was introduced (into the microorganism), while also overexpressing a key enzyme in the photosynthetic pathway. The genetic modification was done in stages. Details of the study by Shota Atsumi and colleagues, as well as the "News and Views" article by John Sheehan can be accessed at the Nature Biotechnology website (both URL's above)..